Trolley-pole retriever.



G. B. RODGERS & J. A. BRENNAN.

TROLLEY POLE RETRIEVBR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1912.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Jaws/1.5mm

. v Attorneys 0. B. RODGERS & J. A. BRENNAN.

TROLLEY POLE RETRIEVER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1912. 1, 77,55 Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Witnesses Inventors TROLLEY-POTJE RETRIEVER.

Applicatibirfiled fune'l, 1-912: Serial 1163703343.

i speeification Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4', 1913.

T all whom may concern:

Be it known that we, GHARL-ns B. RODGERS specification.

This invention relates to trolley pole retrievers and for'its primary object contem- 3 plates l the, -production ofmeans for automatieallylowering" ordepressing the trolley:

polew'henthe trolley'ivheel leaves the trolley, so that the trolley pole cannot interfere itith the overhead construction should the trolleys heel "j ump :from or leave the trolley wire.

A's a:furtherobjectflthe present invention aims to provide a trolley pole retriever? which shallbepositivein operation toautomatically depress the trolley pole when the trolley wheel leaves the trolley wire; and

which shall be loc'lrediagainstaccidentally returning to inoperative position when'the trolley pole is depressed.

Thisinve'ntion further aims to provide in I connection with the device as above inclicated-,a trolley rope so connected to the actuating mechanism as to permit the same to be released, thus perhiittingthe trolley pole tobe again raised in order toengage'the trolley wheel" with the trolley wire.

A't'urther object of the present. invention is toprovide means whereby the retriever is actuated to permit the pole to be "depressed with accelerated motion so that the trolley pole will not bedepressed rapidly at'first, so as to'havei'the tendency tostrike the roof of the car 'or'ellect other injuries.

Among its other objects, the present in- \"ention aims for-"the production of a device of this character which shall be simple in construction and operation ;which shall be positive in action regardless ofwhat happens tothe trolley pole; 'whiclrshall need little, or no attention after installation; which shall be practical, 'efficient "and econom'ical'; which shall-*be, applicable topresent-trolley poles without changes detri mental to standard constructionyand which shall be subject to severe usage.

The'invention has'been illustrated in its preferred embodiment in the accompanying have been employe'd t'o-denote "corresponding 'pa'rts -ancl"'wherein 7 QFigure l is aside" elevation of a standard trolley polezindassociate parts, embodying the'pre'sent invention lld ig. 2 is a side ele- -i' ationof the upper end of a trolley 'pole embodying the present invention and'showing the parts positioned whenthe trolley wheel has left the trolley wire. Fig. 3 is a lElH'I I VlGWV on an enlarged'scale of the base of lhe trolley pole and'theattachnients thereto. F, is a View similar to Fig; 3, parts being shownin section. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of the parts shown in liig. 3.

Referring in detail to the'drawings, the

; numeral 6 designates'the trolley pole, which is of standard construction, and which. has the trolleyharp ;'7 pi'voted tothe upper end thereof" bya knucklejoint as designated by =thenumeral 10. The harp 7 carries the tro'lleywheel 8."Whi,ch under normal conditions engages the trolley wire 9. The knuckle' jointlO is sd-designedthatthe harp 7 i constrained against swinging downwi-ilClly,bU.t is permitted to swingupwardly, as will be clear by-reference to Figs. 1 and 2-. On the lower end of the trolley pole 6 is securedthe usual forlfQG which is pivoted to the sides'of a standard 21, whichstandard is pivoted at its lower end to a base 20. This base is designed to'be secured to'the roof or top of the car, and the-standard 21 being pivoted or swiveled tothe base 20, permits the trolley pole to be swung at various angles, as when the car is rounding a curve, or to permit the trolley pole to be swung toward one end or the other-according to the direction of travel. A tubula'r' horizontal guide 27 is attached at one end to the standard 21111110. has ahead or collar29 slidablyarranged thereon." ,A' coiled compressionspringiZS, of suitable tension, isdisposedbetween'the h'ead29 and the standard 21, and 'a-pair of connecting rods 34 connect the ears "33 projecting from the opposite sides of the head 29 and the respective arms of the fork 26." The spring 28- being under compression tends to swing the trolley pole fupwal'dly, as'customary, and the foregoing p'arts areof standard construction and are used in-the present trolley pole construction. According. to standai-d construction, the drawings, wherein like reference"characters connecting rods 34 pass'slidably through the free end of the said guide. A fluid pressure cylinder 36 having one end open, has

its open end attached to the cylinder head 35, the said cylinder having ears 52 prov jecting from its open end which are bolted to the head 35. The cylinder 36 is thus conveniently carried by the guide for the spring 28 which gives an upward tension to the trolley pole. A piston 37 works within the cylinder 36 and a piston rod 38 is attached to the piston and projects into the tubular guide 27. A. bar 31 is carried by the free end of the piston rod 38 and passes through the slots 30 in the guide 27 to contact with the outer face or end of the head 29, cotter pins 32 being passed through the bar 31 on the exterior of the guide 27 to retain the said bar in position. I It will therefore follow, that when the piston rod 38 is forced inwardly or toward the standard 21, the member 31 will force the head 29 inwardly against the tension of the spring 28, which will relieve the trolley pole 6 of the tension of the spring and permit same to gravitate.

The connecting rod 24 in slidably engaging the head 29 will permit the head to be forced inwardly by the inward movement of the piston, so that the trolley pole may gravitate. Thus, the pressure upon the piston acts directly on the spring and no force is applied to the trolley pole, the trolley pole gravitating by its own weight and the nuts in contacting with the ears 33 serving to limit the downward movement of the trolley. The movement of the trolley pole is retarded for the reason that the nuts 34 in contacting with the ears 33 will cause the spring 38 to be brought under greater compression which will serve to cushion the downward movement of the trolley pole.

vThe cylinder 36 is provided at one side with an enlargement or rib 54, and to the inner end of the rib 54 is attached one end of a pipe 23. The standard 21 is also pro thus permitting the standard to turn with out interference. The rib 54 is provided with a duct or channel 39 communicating with the pipe 23 and with the outer end of the interior of the cylinder, so that it will beseen that compressed air or other fluid under pressure may be passed into the cylinder in rear of the piston 37, the duct 39, pipe 23, bore 22, and pipe 24 providing an air or fluid pressure line communicating with the cylinder. H

A. valve or plug 46 is pivotedin the rib 54, and has a duct or passage 47 therethrough which is adapted to register with the duct 39. A lever 48 is attached to the valve 46, and the said lever is connected by a link 49 to an arm 51 carried by the correspond-f ing rod 34. This valve 46 is normally pars tially open as shown in Fig. 4 so asto permit the restricted passage of the air or fluid, and when the head 29 is moved inwardly or toward the standard 21, the said valve is opened farther so as to increase the fluid supply to the cylinder. In this n1anner, it will follow, that when air is permitted to pass through the air line into the cylinder, the supply will be restricted at first, so that the piston 37 is forced inwardly slowly, which will permit the trol- I ley pole to fall slowly at first, and then as the head 29 is forced inwardly, the valve 46 will be opened farther so as to increase the fluid supply and to accelerate the down ward movement of the trolley pole.

A second valve or plug 40 is pivoted in the rib intermediate the valve 46 and the cylinder and is provided with a duct or passage 42 adapted to be brought into registraticn with the duct 39. The rib is also provided with a discharge opening or outlet 41 extending from its exterior to the valve 40, and when the valve 40 is turned out of registration with the duct 39, the duct 42 of the valve will be brought into registra tion with the outlet 41, the other end of the duct 42 being still in communication with that portion of the duct 39 leading to the cylinder, so as to permit the egress of air or fluid from the cylinder. A lever 43 is secured to the valve 40, and to the said lever is secured a contractile spring 44 attached to a bracket 45 secured to the other end of the cy inder 36. This spring 44 normally tends to swing thevalve 4O closed, or in position to permit the fluld to be discharged from the cylinder.

The cylinder 36 and associate parts pro 1 vide the retriever proper, and from the fore+ 43 1s swung so as to turn the duct 42 of the valve 40 into alineinent with the duct 39, the fluid which is under pressure, will be forced into the cylinder 36 in rear of the piston 37so as to move the head 29 inwardly I going, it will be noted that when the lever .against the tension of the spring 28 and to thereby permit the trolley pole to gravitate slowly, due to the restricted passage ofair through the valve 46. Then as the trolley pole is depressed, the valve -16 will be opened therewith which will cause the trolley pole to be moved downwardly with an accelerated motion. This prevents the trolley pole "from moving downwardly rapidly at first so astogainenough momentum to strike the roof of the car to the probable injury of th innit otthc car or trolley pole.

In. order to bring the retrieving mechanism aforesaid into operationwhen the trolley wheel leaves the trolley wire, there has been provided the following mechanism: A bracket 1% is attached to the upper end of the trolley pole, and a guide 13 is attachedv to the pole below the bracket 14. l A red 12 is guided through the guide 13 and bracket 14, and is connected at its upper end to the sides of the harp 7 by two links 11, only one being shown. A retractile coiled wire spring 19 is arranged on the rod 12 between the guide 13 and bracket 14 and connects the i said rod and bracket in order to give an upward tension tothe-rodaand in order to give an upward tension to the harp 7. A cord or other flexible member is attached to the lower end of the rod 12 and passes over a of the valve 10. The rod 12-when raised or slid upwardly pulls the cord 50 taut, which will swing the lever 13 against the tension of the spring 14 in order to open the valve 10, to permit of the admission of fluid in the cylinder. When the rod 12 is slid inwardly or downwardly against the tension of the spring 19, the cord 50-will be slackened so that the sprin 4's; will swing the lever 43 in order to close the valve -10, and when the rod 12 is slid inwardly, the free ends of links 11 vill project downwardly or inwardly and ordinarily when the trolley wheel 8 is in eng gement with the trolley wire 9, the-upward tension of the trolley pole 6 will pre vent the harp '4' from swinging upwardly due to the tension of the spring 19. As soon as the trolley wheel 8 jumps from or leaves the trolley wire 9, the harp 7 will. be free to swing upwardly, which action is caused by the tension of the spring 19 forcing the rod 12 upwardly. The rod 12 in being forced upwardly or outwardly by the spring 19 will swing the links 11 beyond a right angleposition relative to the harp'so that the rod 12 is. held against accidental retrograde movement sutlicient to permit the retrieving mechanism to return to inoperative position. The said rod is thus prevented from returning to its initial or normal position, unless done so manually. It will therefore be seen, that when the trolley wheel leaves the trolley wire so that the harp is swung upwardly,

- the cord? will be drawn taut inorder to open the valve-4O andpermit of theiadmission of .fluid into the cylinder whichwill cause the trolley;- pole to-be depressed asabovedescribed. 'ihua-should the trolleywv-heel or harp strike any part of the overheadcon- :struction, soas'totend'to swing'the harp back into ncrmal position, 'there'will be no itendency of the retrieving meclianisnrfroin being brought into inoperative position so as topermit the trolley pole to'be-"again raised, buton theother hand'the harp would -:tend to slide the rod 12 farther outward The links 11 in. beingswung outwardly be yond aw-right angle position relative'to the =hiarp will lock the "retrieving mechanism aga1nst" accidentally returning to lllOPBI'ZL- 1*. ve position andpreventtheaccidental rais- '16, so that'w'hen theaod 12 is 'forced outwardly,-the link 18 will-partially rotate-the sheave 16, thus winding thetrolley rope I? upon-the sheave. By pulling the trolley rope l7 downward, the sheave 16 willbe rotated reversely,'which-will force the link 18 downward, in order to1-move- 'the rod. 12

downward to release the retrieving mechamsm. In this manner,-whenthetrolley rope 17 is drawn downward, the retrieving mechanism will be released, thus permitting the trolleypole to again come undertension, due to the. spring 28, and the trolleylwheel 8 may be again positioned in engagement with the trolley wire, as will be understood.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the drawings, it will be clearly apparent that when the trolley wheel 8 jumps from or leaves the trolley wire 9, the harp 7 will be thrown or swung'upwardly rela tive to the trolley pole by the spring 19 forcing the rod 12 outwardly, so that the cord is drawn taut in order to open the valve 10. The valve 10 being open permits the admission of fluid into the cylinder 36 soas to force the piston outwardly and force the head 29 against the tension of the spring 28, permitting the trolley pole to drop by gravity. It will also be noted that as the trolley pole drops, the valve #16 will be opened farther in order to accelerate the movement of the pole, and to prevent the pole from dropping rapidly atfirst so as to gain sutiicient 1110111I1t11i11 to strike the roof of-the car as hereinbetore indicated. The trolley pole will thus be depressed or dropped as soon as the trolley wheel leaves the-trolley Wireand torman, conductor, or other attendant. TIt

will be further noted, that should the trolley wheel or harp 7 accidentally engage the overhead construction, there will be no tendency to release the retrieving mechanism, this being of advantage for the reason that should the trolley wheel leave the trolley wire when rounding curves, the trolley pole will not be permitted to rise after once being dropped, so as to engage any of the overhead stays or cross wires. Then as soon as the trolley rope 17 is drawn downwardly, the harp 7, rod 12, and links 11 will again be set in normal position, and at the same time the retrieving mechanism will be thrown out of operation, permitting the spring 28 to raisethe trolley pole and permitting the person manipulating the rope 17 to bring the'trolley Wheel into engagement with the trolley wire. The mechanism is thus set conveniently, and the trolley wheel 8 being brought into engagement with the trolley wire will again prevent the rod 12 from moving outwardly-until the trolley wheel again leaves the trolley Wire, as above described, in which event the same operation will ensue.

With the construction and combination of parts as set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it will appear that the objects aimed at are attained in an eiiective manner, and it is understood, that this invention is susceptible of numerous alterations or deviations in its details within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention,

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed as new is 1. The combination of a spring pressed trolley pole, retrieving means therefor, a harp pivoted to the pole, guides carried by the pole, a rod slidable through the guides and operatively connected to the retrieving means, a link connecting the rod and harp and adapted to swing beyond a position at right angles to the harp, and means for yieldingly sliding the rod to bring the retrieving means into operation.

2. The combination of a spring pressed trolley pole, retrieving means therefor, a harp pivoted to the pole, guides carried by the pole, a rod slidable through the guides and operatively connected to the retrieving means, a link connecting the rod and harp and adapted to swing beyond a position at right angles to the harp, means for yieldingly sliding the rod to bring the retrieving means into operation, and means for sliding the rod against the tension of the last mentioned means.

3. The combination of a spring pressed trolley pole, retrieving means therefor, a harp pivoted to the pole, guides carried by the pole, a rod slidable through the guides and operatively connected to the retrieving means, a link connecting the rod and harp and adapted to swing beyond a position at right angles to the harp, means for yieldingly sliding the rod to bring the retrieving means into operation, a trolley rope operatively connected to the said rod for sliding the said rod against the tension of the last mentioned means. i

4. The combination of a spring pressed trolley pole, retrieving means therefor, a harp pivoted to the pole, guides carried by the pole, a rod slidable through the guides and operatively connected to the retrieving means, a link connecting the rod and harp and adapted to swin beyond a position at right angles to the harp, means for yieldingly sliding the rod to bring the retrieving means into operation, a sheave carried by the pole, a link connecting the sheave and rod, and a trolley rope wound upon the sheave so as to slide the said rod against the tension of the last mentioned means when the rope is unwound. 5. The combination of a spring pressed trolley pole, a spring pressed harp pivoted thereto, a fluid pressure cylinder, a piston in the cylinder and connected to the trolley pole, a fluid pressure supply pipe connected to the cylinder, a valve for the said pipe and normally partially open, the said valve he ingconnected to the trolley pole, so that the valve is opened. farther as the trolley pole is depressed, and a second valve for the said pipe normally closed and connectedv to the harp so that the last mentioned valve is opened when the harp is swung relative to the pole.

6. In combination of a spring pressed trolley pole, a spring pressed harp pivoted thereto, a fluid pressure cylinder, a fluid pressure supply pipe connected to the cylinder, a piston working within the cylinder and connected to the trolley pole, a valve for the said pipe normally closed and connected to the harp so that the said valve is opened when the harp is swung relative to the pole, and means for normally restricting the passage of fluid through the said pipe, and for increasing the passage of fluid as the pole is depressed.

7. In combination of a pivoted standard,

a trolley pole pivot-ed thereto, a spring pressed harp pivoted to the pole, a guide secured to the standard, a head slidable on the guide, a compression spring on the guide between the head and standard, a

connecting rod attached to the head and pole, a fluid pressure cylinder attached to the free end of the guide, a piston in the cylinder connected to the said head, a fluid pressure supply pipe connected to the cylinder, a valve for the fluid pressure pipe normally partially open, means connecting the said valve and head for farther open ing the said valve as the head is forced against the tension of the respective spring,

a second valve for the said pipe normally closed to permit the escape of fluid from as our oWn, We have hereto affixed our sig- R the cyhnder yielding means for normally natures 111 the presence of two Witnesses. 10

closing the last mentioned valve, and a flexible connection between the la st mentioned 5 valve and the hzup to open the last men tioned valve when the harp is swung rela- /Vitnesses: tive to the pole. EDWARD MANOR,

In testimony that We claim the foregoing JAS. A. FITZPATRICK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

